Leveraging Technology to Facilitate Teachers’ Use of a Targeted Classroom Intervention: Evaluation of the Daily Report Card.Online (DRC.O) System

• Published in: School mental health 2019-12, Vol.11 (4), p.665-677
• Main Authors: Owens, Julie Sarno, McLennan, John D., Hustus, Chelsea L., Haines-Saah, Rebecca, Mitchell, Sarah, Mixon, Clifton S., Troutman, Ayanna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adoption (Ideas); Algorithms; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Child Behavior; Classroom management; Classroom Techniques; Clinical Psychology; Course Content; Decision making; Developmental Psychology; Education; Educational technology; Elementary School Students; Elementary School Teachers; Intervention; Original Paper; Outcomes of Education; Pilot projects; Professional development; Program Implementation; Progress Monitoring; Psychology; Questionnaires; Report Cards; School districts; Screening Tests; Stress Variables; Student behavior; Student Experience; Teacher Characteristics; Teachers; Technology Uses in Education; Web Based Instruction; Web Sites
• ISSN: 1866-2625; 1866-2633
• DOI: 10.1007/s12310-019-09320-6

Historically, teachers’ uptake and implementation of empirically supported classroom interventions have involved substantial face-to-face consultation. However, most schools do not have the resources to provide this intensive level of support and many teachers may not need it. Thus, evaluation of alternative supports is warranted. In this pilot study, we evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of an interactive web-based technology [i.e., the Daily Report Card.Online (DRC.O)] designed to facilitate teachers’ use of the DRC with minimal external support and examined individual teacher characteristics associated with DRC use. Elementary school teachers ( N  = 54) were given access to the DRC.O Web site and asked to use it to implement a DRC with one child. With regard to implementation, 16% were short-term adopters (less than 1 month) and 39% were long-term adopters (1–7 months of use). On average, short-term adopters adhered to 37% of data entry procedures, whereas long-term adopters adhered to 74% of data entry procedures. Higher teacher stress was associated with shorter use and lower adherence. Web site analytics revealed that, on average, long-term adopters completed all steps of DRC development in less than 1 h and spent only 3 min per day engaged in data entry for progress monitoring. The magnitude of change in student target behaviors and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores was moderate to large. These results reveal the feasibility and promise of the DRC.O and generate hypotheses for future research. Implications for additional evaluation of technology-driven implementation supports for teachers are discussed.